The Legal System Living Off Your Work Shhhhhhhh Dont raise interest

[HMFICDICK]

I have a few friends in the business. I may be known as a JOHN, but I do have friends in the business. From my conversations with my friends, most of the time when their probation officer busts them, the interest is in continuing the cash cow to the system that lives off the backs of the girls. They say My Oh My What are you doing.... you owe $xxx dollars for your probation fees. You dont have a regular job, you cant get a regular job because they will quickly provide prospective employers your record. but they still want that money. Hmmmm. where do you get it, They dont know(bullshit) but they want it. If you are 5 minutes late, oops your probation is extended. If you have any other charges....pot...an"accusation of felony" or any other charge and you are really screwed(and you dont get paid), So many people in the current bureaucracy. are dependent upon you staying on probation for any charge they can get you on, so they can justify their jobs and bring money into the (county, state, city..name your favorite govermental agency) . I really don't know how these people can look in a mirror and go to church and take communion. I only hope I can watch when the lord judges them.

[Brooke Wilde]

In Houston there is a saying "Come on vacation, leave on probation, return on violation".

I know many people that have got caught up in the BS cycle of probation. I personally would never take it.

[ck1942]

imo, do not believe everything you hear directly about the probation system!

Rarely, if ever, will you hear directly about the successes.

Not trying to defend the system, because, obviously there are abusive POs, but there are many more slackers on probation.

Personally, I do know and know of multiple providers (and some former providers) who have successfully completed probation, exited the system, gained successful employment and are even several years (oine a decade, now) "clean." Never an easy route and many are tempted to backslide because it is soooooo easy. But the ones who do succeed do so by changing their outlook, their friends and companions and making the hard choices like continuing through AA, for example.

If we taxpayers want to complain about a lack of state program success, perhaps we should look more closely at Child Protective Services and adult welfare programs and prisons and juvenile programs when you talk about misspent taxpayer dollars.

[HMFICDICK]

I have worked in the system, not as a PO but know a number of them and have had long talks with them about their job. They start out all fresh and eager to help the people who get on probation. As they progress in their experience they encounter many bad people who really belong in jail not on probation and many who dont belong on probation because they really did not do anything that bad but the MAN needed the fees from their pockets. Check yourself, how are the probation offices judged. Most of the time they will brag about the fees generated, rarely about the people who they actually helped get their lives back to normal. Those PO's who start out trying to help, are quickly brought in line by supervisors who make it clear its the fees or their ass. What would you do, you got a family to support, so you may help some of the really easy cases to make it but if it involves any significant time effort you cant take the chance of getting yourself caught in a crack either. So the Money god has won again. If a person is so bad that they need to be watched that close, they should be in jail. If not they should not be forced to be a fee slave to the state. For those of you who believe that the probation system is a help to the majority of probationers i have a few dozen words. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ...... HMFICDICK